Atticus says, “ ‘... my children are missing, haven’t turned up since noon’ …. ‘You’ve been here all afternoon?’ (Lee 206-207). Atticus left his house thinking that they would stay home with Calpurnia, and he trusted that they would be responsible and stay home. He distrusted his parenting because during the whole testimony, his children were on the balcony along with the other African Americans including Reverend Sikes, without his knowledge. One can infer he is very busy on his case defending Tom Robinson. Right before the trial starts, the kids were about to enter the courtroom and Jem and Dill are discussing whether or not it would be worth it to see the testimony and get in trouble for it if Atticus sees them. “ ‘Let's go in,’ said Dill. ‘Naw we better wait ‘till they get in, Atticus might not like it if he sees us,’ said Jem” (Lee 162). Jem and Scout both know that going into the courtroom is wrong …show more content…
Even if it needs to be notched down a bit. At the end of the story it is Halloween, Jem and Scout go trick or treating in their neighborhood and they go alone. It is pitch black outside, Jem and Scout are without a flashlight. As a parent, Atticus should make sure that his kids are safe in the pitch black night that it is outside, but he does not. As expected, trouble is following them, and of course, they can not see it. The children think they hear someone following them. It ends where Scout is on the ground and she’s carried by a figure she is unable to see. Jem fights him off and she hears a “bone chilling” cough in the background which was what she did not realize until she was told by the Sheriff, Heck Tate, which was the death of Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father. Atticus thinks, based on the information Scout gave, Jem is responsible for Ewell’s death and he should be punished for the murder. Atticus said, “If they hear me saying downtown something different happened- Heck I won’t have them anymore. I can’t live one way in town and another way in my home” (Lee 274). It is understood that Atticus did not want his son to be punished and he wants to be known as an honest man. This would be an example of taking honesty too far. It does not make sense to punish your son for the murder of a man just because he has his reputation to